Books
Saving Sex, by Amy DeRogatis
The old stereotype is that evangelicals are unable or unwilling to talk about sex. Lately, the reality is the opposite.
The poet and politics
As two new biographies and a massive collection of poems show, Denise Levertov's distinctive work and life remain relevant and rewarding.
Capital in the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas Piketty
Income disparity is likely to keep getting worse, eventually undermining the viability of democratic capitalism. This stark message has made Thomas Piketty's book the object of much scrutiny.
Saying no
Bruce Dancis is keenly intelligent, soft-spoken, and possessed of a quiet dignity. So is his new memoir of his time as a draft resister.
We Make the Road by Walking, by Brian D. McLaren
Academics may find no theological breakthrough in Brian McLaren's latest book, but the ones who care about church life may still do a double take.
Touchdowns for Jesus and Other Signs of Apocalypse, by Marcia W. Mount Shoop
Grantland Rice compared the Notre Dame backfield to the four horsemen. Marcia Mount Shoop realigns football with apocalyptic thought—and makes a theological critique of the sport's systemic dysfunction.
Praying strings
I gobble books by musicians. Bruce Cockburn's memoir has more virtues than most.
The road to Heller
Michael Waldman traces the Second Amendment's life, from militias to the NRA to the newfound right to have handguns at home.
Sex and the Spirit, by Verlee A. Copeland and Dale B. Rosenberger
The mainline has struggled to express an ethics or spirituality of sexuality. Verlee Copeland and Dale Rosenberger seek to fill that gap.
Paul and the Faithfulness of God, by N. T. Wright
N.T. Wright aims to show how Paul's story of the crucified and risen Messiah is at the same time the story of Israel rescued from extended exile.
American Protestants and the Debate over the Vietnam War, by George Bogaski
Through analysis of denominational statements about what is arguably the most debated military conflict in recent U.S. history, George Bogaski produces an illuminating, if also unvarnished, story.
Dancing on the Head of a Pen, by Robert Benson
Robert Benson is a guide for people who don't know how to get from a blank page to a pile of pages called a book.
Fall books: Reviews
Our fall books issue's reviews include David Hollinger on Grant Wacker, Amy Frykholm on Miriam Toews, Jill Baumgaertner on Christian Wiman, and more.
Marilynne Robinson on the language of faith in writing
What are you afraid of? That’s what Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson asks writers who shy away from writing about faith.
The beloved author has won accolades after writing so openly about belief, but it remains a subject few other writers take on.
Once in the West: Poems, by Christian Wiman
Christian Wiman offers further evidence that his voice is among the most compelling in contemporary poetry. These poems are filled with theological conundrums, unanswered questions, brutal answers to questions never formed, and above all, contradictions.
Deeply Divided, by Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos argue that contemporary American politics have taken an extreme turn that has all but eliminated bipartisanship and compromise.
Take & read: Fall books
Our fall books issue includes scholars' recommendations of the best recently published books in New Testament, global Christianity and American religious history, and practical theology.